"The economy added 287,000 jobs in June, a bounce-back from May's low number and a clear indication that the economy continues to make solid progress," White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman said in a statement.

The already weak payrolls growth from May was revised even further downward, to 11,000. April's growth, meanwhile, was revised upward from 123,000 to 144,000. Last month, the initial May report showed the U.S. unemployment rate came in at 4.7 percent, a recent low, but nonfarm payrolls only grew a dismal 38,000 jobs.

Over the last three months, job gains have averaged about 147,000 per month.

The BLS also reported that the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was 34.4 hours — the fifth consecutive month for that result. U.S. average hourly earnings for private nonfarm payroll employees moved 2 cents higher in June to $25.61.

Fed funds futures show low expectations for a rate hike this year. After the June data release, there was just a 24 percent chance of a hike priced in for December — it had been 12 percent on Thursday night, according to Jefferies.

In a post-May jobs report speech from Philadelphia, Yellen said her overall assessment of the labor market is quite positive. Although the slowdown indicated by the May numbers bears "close watching," she said, wage growth may "finally be picking up."

"Although this recent labor market report was, on balance, concerning, let me emphasize that one should never attach too much significance to any single monthly report," she said in prepared June 6 remarks.

Still, the Fed opted to leave rates unchanged in June and officials only weakly committed to two more rate hikes this year.